I never knew a radio scanner could be this fun to listen to

[trmiv]

We just bought a handheld radio scanner so my mom can listen in on the radio conversations been me and my crew while I'm racing, and I'm having fun with this right now. The cool thing, of course, can be used to scan police and fire stuff too. I just found a site with a ton of frequencies for our local police and fire, and I've been listening in all night. It's so stupid that mundane stuff like a car parked wrong or a burned out signal light is cool to listen to. I almost feel like I'm not supposed to be listening, that's why it's so cool. It's pretty amazing that I am getting broadcasts from police and fire that are quite a distance away too.

 

[thereds]

how much do one of those suckas cost?

 

[trmiv]

This one is only a 200 channel one (that is channel memory), and it was $129 on sale (regular $169). They had a 1000 channel one for $349, but we didn't need all that. This one covers the frequencies our race radios transmit on, being able to listen in on police and fire stuff is just a cool added bonus.

 

[Lars]

So if you for example visit a Formula 1 race would you be able to hear the communication between the drivers and their crews with a 100 or 1000 channel scanner?

 

[Zenmervolt]

I know what you mean. I've got a little basic Bearcat scanner and it's a lot of fun to listen to that stuff. BTW, you wouldn't happen to have a link to that site with the frequencies would you? Or is it just your local area and not a national database type of thing?

ZV

 

[trmiv]

<< So if you for example visit a Formula 1 race will you be able to hear the communication between the drivers and their crews with a 100 or 1000 channel scanner? >>



I would guess so, as long as they are broadcasting on the frequencies this thing picks up. This one was actually marketed as a race scanner, and came with a booklet with frequencies for NASCAR Winston Cup, Busch GN, ASA, ARCA, USAC Silver Crown, IRL, CART, and a bunch of other series.





<< I know what you mean. I've got a little basic Bearcat scanner and it's a lot of fun to listen to that stuff. BTW, you wouldn't happen to have a link to that site with the frequencies would you? Or is it just your local area and not a national database type of thing? >>



The one I found was just for the state of california. I'm sure there are other sites out there that list frequencies from your area. I just searched in google for California police frequencies, and found the site I used.

 

[Lars]

<<

<< So if you for example visit a Formula 1 race will you be able to hear the communication between the drivers and their crews with a 100 or 1000 channel scanner? >>



I would guess so, as long as they are broadcasting on the frequencies this thing picks up. This one was actually marketed as a race scanner, and came with a booklet with frequencies for NASCAR Winston Cup, Busch GN, ASA, ARCA, USAC Silver Crown, IRL, CART, and a bunch of other series. >>



Cool. BTW, what kind of car do you use for racing?

 

[perry]

<< So if you for example visit a Formula 1 race would you be able to hear the communication between the drivers and their crews with a 100 or 1000 channel scanner? >>



Nope. The F1 teams use encrypted radio communications.

 

[trmiv]

<<

Cool. BTW, what kind of car do you use for racing? >>



I race NASCAR Grand American Modifieds.

 

[Lars]

<< Nope. The F1 teams use encrypted radio communications. >>



Damn.



<< I race NASCAR Grand American Modifieds. >>



Sounds like fun.

 

[UofI]

I have one myself. Entertaining to listen to indeed

 

[trmiv]

Does F1 use encrypted frequencies when they race in the US? Because I found this site which lists frequencies for the F1 race at IMS.

 

[OS]

nm

 

[Mungla]

Just think about how fun it would be if you could transmit.

Various things I've done with radios: bounced signals off of the moon, allowing for earth -> moon -> earth contacts. I've also bounced signals off of asteroids as they pass through the earth's magnetic field. Pretty cool stuff.

I always keep an HT with me in my truck. Whenever I see a group of ambulances, or a group of OHP, I find it interesting to know what is going on. Just the other night, there was a drug bust on a methlab several miles from my house. About 20 OHP stopped right in front of my house, to prepare, before going to make the bust. I listened in on that and got the names of everyone arrested.

 

[Mungla]

<< My EE prof intercepts cphone calls and pager messages. He says they are real interesting. :Q >>



Hrm, somehow I see this ability of his disappearing soon. If he's going around telling people this, he won't be in the open much longer. The FCC is very mean when it comes towards doing this kind of stuff. Of course, now that everything is going digital, conversations are now mostly secure. Your EE prof won't have the equipment to decrypt digital signals, but you can bet that the NSA will.

 

[bunker]

<< I always keep an HT with me in my truck >>


Careful doing that in the states. Every state I know of has a law against operating a scanner in your vehicle. (edit - unless you are emergency personnel)

Personally I enjoy scanning the 900mhz area listening to people's telephone conversations (which is also illegal!)

 

[swayinOtis]

i have had a scanner for 10 years. they are lots of fun. i love listening to airplane traffic. im so geeky i will go to the airport and just sit, watch and listen. i also take it to the occasion nascar race.

back in the day you could listen to cell phones. eventualy the cell phone lobby pressured the government to make it illegal so now the cell phone frequency range is locked out all new scanners. you can still do it but you will probably have to modify your scanner.

the irony of that is that you can listen to most cordless phones (and baby monitors) without modifying your scanner. the frequency range is not locked like it is for cell phones. they say that it's illegal to knowingly listen in on cordless phone calls but they have not made the scanner makers lock out those frequencies the way they made them lock out the cell phone frequencies. remember this if you use a cordless phone in a crowded apartment complex, or even a regular neighborhood.

 

[lepper boy]

Pretty sure that if they do use an encryptian at a race. it would just be a tone encryp... Basically blocks out all the other crap. in which case you find the right tone you hear them.



the police are giving names out over the radio at an arrest? that ain't right....


you should listen to my ambulance freq..... especially after 5p.m. (the boss goes home) no more 12 codes or proper english..... it gets really interesting..

 

[blueghost75]

One of these days, i'm going to go buy myself one of these scanners. I was in Fry's one day, and someone had set a scanner to a police frequency. Needless to say, I found myself browsing all of the nearby stuff.

 

[Mungla]

<<

<< I always keep an HT with me in my truck >>


Careful doing that in the states. Every state I know of has a law against operating a scanner in your vehicle. (edit - unless you are emergency personnel)

Personally I enjoy scanning the 900mhz area listening to people's telephone conversations (which is also illegal!) >>



I am licensed by the FCC as an Amateur Radio Operator. I can take a scanner, or HT, anywhere I want to. I've carried my HT with me for over two years, and I even have a vertical antenna mounted on my rear glass (looks like a cellular antenna, just twice as tall). I don't know where you came across this law, but I've never heard of it. Have you ever been to a state convention where a swapmeet was taking place? If so, you would have noticed many vehicles with obserdly huge antennas on them; all of which belong to HAM's.

 

[kgraeme]

I'm curious about the suggested illegality of driving with a scanner (or in my case a transceiver.) As a pilot of small planes, I know that we used to need to have a Radio Operators License in the plane. We not only have a reciever, we obviously transmit as well. That Radio license is no longer a requirement anymore though.

I know many, many pilots who carry a handheld transceiver with them as a backup for the one built into the plane. They also usually drive around in their cars with it on listening to ATC or whatever. (We generally don't drive around transmitting on aircraft frequencies as there ARE restrictions on that.)

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Mungla- What HT do you have? I have a VX-5r

trmiv- You might want to try short wave too. I think that's more fun than a scanner, but everyone has their preferences.

 

[LordJezo]

What would a 1000 channel scanner have over a 100 channel scanner? Anything different on the other 900 channels? All I want to do is listen to the cops and such...

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

<< What would a 1000 channel scanner have over a 100 channel scanner? Anything different on the other 900 channels? All I want to do is listen to the cops and such... >>



Channels aren't that important. Look into trunk scanners. Do a Google search. No it doesn't go in your trunk. Many pd's have radio systems than change frequencies while in use, making it hard to follow a conversation. Trunk scanners can often take care of that. Do the search and you'll learn more.

 

[swayinOtis]

if you want to listen to the police make sure you find out if the cops in your area use a trunk system. if so, you have to have a trunk tracker scanner for that. the cops in my area went to trunked systems a coupel of years ago and i had to upgrade to a trunk tracking scanner in order to listen.